Bethlehem (300), Tue 23.7.13, Morning
The area behind the glass booths is full of people waiting to pass. We hear over and over the following: Those whose permits begin at 8:00 am may not pass before that time. A policeman, whom we have not seen before, comes to us, and says, "You know Arabic. Explain to them that if a permit says it begins at 8:00 am, you cannot enter before that time." And he takes a permit from someone to show us how the hours are spelled out on the permit. We chatted a bit about this problem. He was easy to talk with. About ten minutes later he is in an argument with two soldiers with the guards also standing close by. Finally, the policeman walks to the far end of all the glass booths, opens the door, and proceeds to let everyone pass as he glances at their permits. When he had finished, we again chatted with him, and he said that there was no choice, but not to make them wait until 8:00 am.
It was in interesting morning.
We also gave Sylvia's phone numbers to one in need.
Bethlehem (300)
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Located adjacent to the Separation Wall ("Jerusalem Wrap") at the north entrance to Bethlehem, this checkpoint cuts off Bethlehem and the entire West Bank from East Jerusalem, with all the serious implications for health services, trade, education, work and the fabric of life. The checkpoint is manned by the Border police and private security companies. It is an extensive infrastructure barrier and is designated as a border terminal, open 24 hours a day for foreign tourists. Israeli passport holders are not allowed to pass to Bethlehem, and Palestinian residents are not allowed to enter Jerusalem, except those with entry permits to Israel and East Jerusalem residents. Israeli buses are allowed to travel to Bethlehem only through this checkpoint.The checkpoint, which demonstrated harsh conditions of crowding and extreme passage delays for years, started employing advanced electronic identification posts and has upgraded its gates' system as of the middle of 2019 - and conditions improved.Adjacent to the checkpoint, in an enclosure between high walls and another passage, is the historic Rachel's Tomb, which is now embedded within a concrete fortified building. It contains prayer and study complexes for Jews only, as well as a residential complex. updated November 2019 .
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